


Whatever it is, it's ruining halloween

by Webtrinsic



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Aliens, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Stephen Strange, BAMF Tony Stark, Bugs, Comatose Peter, Happy halloween, Horror cliche, Hurt Peter Parker, Maggots, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Has A Heart, spooky stuff, warning?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-27 04:08:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12573356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Webtrinsic/pseuds/Webtrinsic
Summary: An Alien is mucking around Queens, and the children are growing weak, falling into a deep sleep where they're left with only their fears. How will Tony ever save Peter?





	Whatever it is, it's ruining halloween

**Author's Note:**

> Not my best work, but HAPPY HALLOWEEN LOVELIESSSSSSSSS WOOOOOO!!!!!! HOPE YOU ALL GET CANDY AND GOODNESS. I LOVE YOU ALL

It was just a tingle and a shadow in the corner of his eyes. But it bothered him for days. He couldn't sleep, and the moment he looked at the food he saw something else. It rotted with maggots and flies shrouding it. When he'd protested to May as she shoveled the food into her mouth, she'd defended her cooking wasn't that bad.

And it wasn't just him, no one at school would eat. They all looked as tired as him. A few girls screamed as they went through the lunch line, complaining they were being served bugs and moldy food. So many complaining about nightmares as they pushed down the line.

The lunch lady's seemed frightened, confused, so much so the school nurse had been called and believed the children were experiencing a mass hysteria.

"A health epidemic?" Principal Morita asked as several kids were checked over. Tired and exhausted, many passing out from malnourishment.

The teen looked over at MJ who seemed even more annoyed than usual, Ned positively horrified at the sight of everything. Flash hadn't even talked.

"Dude, do you think this is a bad guy?" Ned had asked, and the unease and constant thrum of danger in Peter's mind couldn't disagree.

"I don't know," Peter admitted softly. Skin crawling as school released everyone early. Practically zombies, three kids passing out while several standby nurses whisked them off.

A flashy car caught his eye, and Ned quickly grabbed his shoulder in his usual excitement, though Peter could feel the weakness in the action.

"You have plans with Mr. Stark! Lucky," Ned exclaimed, but Peter really didn't have plans with Mr. Stark. He didn't know why he was here. Maybe he heard, heard of ill effects all the kids in Queens were going through.

That's why he was here when kids were too ill to be at school because he wanted to check on Peter.

"Yeah he wanted my help with his suit," He huffed out, a smile on his face. Practicing because he knew he'd worry Mr. Stark if he looked anything else than okay.

"Bye Ned," Peter smiled, walking towards the car. The door opening as Mr. Stark opened it from the inside.

Catching the door, Peter slid into the passenger side. Tony instantly tilting his glasses down to assess the young hero. The sight of him didn't sit well, pale features slightly sunken in. An immediate lack of sleep apparent.

"He-hey... Mr. Stark, um th-thank you for picking me up. I-I didn't know we were doing anything today," Peter stuttered, internally scrutinizing himself.

"Want to get something to eat?" Tony asked, already not liking the stutter. It didn't happen often, only when Peter was hiding something, extremely nervous, or frightened.

"No!" Peter said hurriedly, the thought of bugs and rotted food making him sick.

Tony's eyes widened at the child's startled response, before zeroing in on him, knowing Peter had been affected by _whatever_. Tony almost violently in his worry, reached over and buckled Peter's seatbelt himself. And quickly drove off, Peter falling silent as the thrumming ticking at the back of his neck made him scoot closer to Tony's seat.

The divider was in the way, and needless to say Tony noticed. Continuing onward, Tony drove them towards the compound, quickly getting out of the car. And rushing towards the building with Peter in tow.

Peter's jaw-dropping when Tony dragged him by the wrist. And towards the infirmary, Doctor Strange already waiting. And before he could open his mouth, he was being pushed onto the bed and sitting. A light shown in his eyes, and Tony is riddling Strange with questions.

"Is he alright? They said mass hysteria you're a brain doctor, check. They said they're hallucinating, and won't eat."

Strange seemed to ignore this, hand reaching to the side of Peter's neck for a pulse and then again to his wrist.

"Moldy and rotten food?" Strange asked, and Peter hesitantly nodded.

"Do you think you can eat now?" He asked, and Peter shook his head no.

"What happens when you sleep?" The Doctor questioned, and the teen yawned.

"I don't know, I haven't."

Strange only nodded at that, noticing the unease.

"How long has your Spider-sense been going off?"

"A few days," he whispered, keeping his head down.

"Did the hallucinations about food start before or after you stopped sleeping?"

"Before, but why is this happening to everyone? Well, kids and teens?" Peter asked, looking up at the sorcerer supreme.

The man didn't respond to his question other than, "Try not to think about your sense." It didn't help.

Peter pulled himself from the bed as the two genius' chatted, Tony's hand reaching back only to push him back down. The tingling sensation in his neck spiked, and something ran past the open door.

Long legs, so very long legs. Peter couldn't help but think of a spider as he stood and walked towards the door. The cloak of levitation noticing a dark force or presence just _something_ , and zoomed forward. Pulling Peter back hard enough to the point he fell. The cape catching him so his head didn't hit the ground.

It caught the two's attention, Tony kneeling beside him and carefully helping him back up. The cape flying down the hall, the sorcerer close behind.

Strange stared down the hall, as the befuddled cape floated. The source of its unease gone, it was now somewhere else, dementing another soul. A young naive soul.

Being led to something else.

Tony held Peter to his side, as Strange walked in, the capes actions confused even around his shoulders.

"They saw something," Strange stated. Tony, instantly looking down at Peter with a question of what?

"I don't know, it went by pretty fast."

"FRIDAY?" Tony gritted out, pulling up the live feed. _Something_ ran past the door, and that _something_ was gone. But it had been here, without tripping the alarms, without anyone noticing but Peter and a sentient cape. Ok weird.

Tony's grip on Peter was tight, and Peter shook under the grasp. The prickling fear driving him, almost mistaking Tony's hold as harm.

"Sir apparently sightings from young adults of a black and nightmarish figure in several different forms are appearing all throughout Queen's."

"This isn't hysteria," Strange stated, and Peter was relieved he'd finally gotten to the point he could hug Tony, and shamelessly buried himself in his side.

Unbearably exhausted, the lack of sleep and malnourishment destroying him, especially with his increased metabolism.  
The billionaire tucked him closer, Peter's head resting against his chest and the cloak of levitation rushing to hug him too.

Another yawn escaped Peter's lips, eyes drooping until the world went black. Tony kept his grip on the limp body, hoisting him into a bridal carry, and setting him on the bed.

The cloak of levitation happy to be used as a blanket softly ran its edges over Peter's hair. Little did they know the children of Queens were all falling asleep.

Strange opted for a brain scan, to see how things were going. It was right to do so because he instantly noticed his brain activity was nowhere near consistent with sleep.

This spurred Tony into action, trying desperately to wake _his son_ up, his mind confused as if to why it'd associated him that way. But that didn't matter now because Peter wouldn't stir. Eyes moving rapidly beneath closed lids. REM sleep, endless REM sleep.

"Peter please," Tony begged, hugging the body to his chest and hopelessly looking up at the sorcerer.

"Let's get some IV's set, he's not in any immediate danger from what I can tell." Tony simply nodded, pulling back Peter's sleeves and reluctantly laying him back on the bed. Watching the Doctor slide several IV's into the thin wrist and taping them down.

\---

Peter looked around, a malicious iron wrought web held him tight. Covering his mouth, and making his limbs numb. He could tell from his floating position, the web was in an upper corner.

Eyes adjusting to the dark, something scurried below. Long legs, dragging in shrieks, reminding him of nails on a chalkboard. Shivers erupted from his spine, the movement causing the wire web to clang in loud echoes.

The sound brought tears to his eyes in overwhelming despondency and fear. He couldn't stop shaking and the echoing of his struggle only grew louder.

The figures head snapped up, a sunken in face, to the point you could see the skeleton. Eyes pooling blood, and teeth sharp enough to crush his bones. Fangs resembling a snake, able to suck out his blood.

Its body was grotesque, twisted and bent out of shape. Hips twisted several times over, sinewy arms ejecting from it's back. Wiry long black hair in disarray, framing the pale face.

The _something_ looked up at him, and Peter froze in fear. Watching it pull itself up with the arms and legs, until it was only inches away from his face.

It nosed its head around his neck, smearing the blood across his pale throat. Causing him to sob as the teeth scratched his throat, making his breath stop.

He didn't dare move, letting the figure drag its bladed nails across his cheek.

 _"This is now sleeping,"_ a shrillish voice spoke, with a lisp from its sharp teeth. Far too big for its mouth.

The bladed fingers slowly drifted across his now-closed lids. The wired webs appearing from the blades and covering his eyes. Not allowing them to open again. _This was now sleeping._

 

_\---_

 

 

"I don't know what this is," Stephen admitted, before adding, "It's not human."

Tony's stare held tight before looking down at Peter's limp form. No, they couldn't have him. Nothing could. He was too young and small. Hopelessly naive, with a better heart than the Captain himself.

No child deserved this sleep, asleep with no guarantee he'd ever wake up.

He wanted whatever now, to find and kill it for holding his and many others children hostage. Tony swept the cape away from Peter's hair to take it in his own hand.

The soft locks gentle between his fingers before he stepped away and rested his head against Peter own. Stephen and the cape leaving the two be, as he searched for an explanation.

Tony silently wept over his self-proclaimed child. If only he knew Peter lay terrified in his mind. Shaking in his bonds while the echoing bounced through his head. The spider-like creature gone. Leaving him alone in his fear

He felt as if he was rotting from the inside out, stuck in the bonds he so normally weaved himself. But these were brutal, cutting his blood flow and making him feel like the fly. _That's not who he was._

The children of Queen's were all in their own hell, monsters cornering them, abusive figures shouting above them, the things they loved most hurting them. Any and every hell imaginable, and they were trapped.

Slowly growing weaker, to the point they're comatose bodies were going numb. Hearts so close to stopping, the fears coming impossibly close. The spider creature erupting from the shadows in a raging shrill right at Peter. Hyperventilating on the web, listening as the fangs drew closer.

Sobbing in fear, only for the moment, the fangs were unbearably close. Stopping as they stuck in his skin, blood so close to being sucked away.

It caused him to sob, the hurt and fear.

The figure was shot and fell to the floor, the sound of Iron-Man's repulsor shutting down, and the magic of Strange ridding the creature echoing in his ears.  Strange shouting to Tony, "Bring him back, I'll deal with the rest."

Tony tore his child from the bonds, Peter clinging tight enough to what he knew was Tony until he fell away. And the two woke up alone in the med bay.

Peter and all the children who woke from their slumber shaking and hyperventilating. Having been saved by two of earth's mightiest heroes. From an alien with no other motive than it wanted to go home. And they wanted something to feel the fear and homelessness they did.

Not many did make it, but the children did. And Tony couldn't be happier to have Peter home. 


End file.
